1533 Days

1. Our beautiful new home. ~Sarah

2. "I like Super Why." ~Lucy

3. Ice. ~Ruby (she's teething)

4. Health! ~Sarah

5. "Grateful to the Lord for leading me to the right people and making new job contacts." ~Jon

6. "My family!" ~Arianna

7. I'm grateful for my firstborn daughter, Arianna. She is growing into a lovely young lady with a beautiful soul. Her imagination still soars and she's so incredibly smart. I'm proud of the big sister that she is, how well she's doing in school, and how hard she tries to make good decisions and be a role model for her little sisters who absolutely adore her. ~Sarah

8. "Ari is a good sister to me!" ~Lucy

9. "I'm thankful that I get to go on a field trip on Tuesday!" ~Arianna

10. The USMC and all of the benefits that it has provided for Jon and our family. Happy birthday, Marines! ~The Bush Family

11. Today, I am thankful to all of the Veterans who has served in the military and sacrificed their time, safety, and in some cases, their lives to defend our nation and keep us safe. I am thankful to my own veteran husband who works hard every single day to ensure that our family is provided for. His current assignment isn't fun and is rarely ever rewarding, but he pushes forward for us and I don't know what we would do if he weren't willing to make those sacrifices. ~Sarah

12. "I am thankful that you pray for me and have been so supportive. And for taking care of the girls." ~text message that Jon sent me

13. I am grateful that we are well fed. So it's not all organic, so it comes out of a package sometimes, so we occasionally eat *gasp* fast food! The fact is, there is food in our bellies every single day. Even when we've reached the tail end of the pay period and our fridge and pantry are looking bare and it feels like there is nothing to eat, we eat. We have NEVER gone hungry. I have the ability to create food plans and the guarantee that whatever ingredients I need will be readily available with one quick trip to the grocery store. I don't have the burden of wondering where our next meal is going to come from or how long we'll have to go before we're able to eat again. Food may be a necessity, but the type of food that we eat and the way we eat and the fact that we take these things for granted is a luxury. ~Sarah

14. One year ago today in the early hours of the morning, God blessed our lives with Ruby Estelle. We are thankful for her easygoing personality, her sweet, cheesy gap-toothed grin, her silly mannerisms, and the pretty light features that she got from her Great Paw Paw (who would have been so proud of her). Our little family would not be the same without sweet Ruby Star and we are thankful for God's timing in making her a part of our family. ~Jon, Sarah, Ari, and Lucy

15. I am grateful for my husband and everything that he sacrifices to take care of our family. ~Sarah

16. CAKE! ~Lucy and Ruby

17. All of the friends and family who came over to celebrate our November babies' birthdays! ~The Bush Family

18. "A clean house and a good dinner." ~Jon

19. I'm thankful for my best friend, Lisa. We met online four years ago and last year the military brought us close enough to meet in person. The beginning of August, she and her family had a housewarming party and I didn't want to go. It wasn't that I didn't want to meet them, it's that I always feel awkward in social situations especially when I don't know very many people. I was stressing out and I believe I tried to play a "my toddler is being really cranky and tantrum-y...." card and Lisa likely knew what I was doing and came back with, "That's ok, we have a child who throws tantrums sometimes too! We don't judge tantrum-y kids or their parents!" And I was like, ".......well, darn." So I went. And I made the absolute best, most amazing friend I've ever had in my 27 years of life. We have the perfect amount of similarities to keep us close and just enough differences to balance each other out. She listens to me vent, gives me honest advice, supports me, and provides me with fresh perspective (like I said, differences are good!). She doesn't judge me and she forgives. She's given me the honor of being a Godmother and that's more than just a title to me. Along with my own daughters, I have two more to set a good example for and help discover all of life's beauty. I couldn't ask for any more in a best friend and I look forward to our families sharing a lifetime of memories. ~Sarah

20. "I love my toys and my Kitty Hello bed!" ~Lucy

21. "Had a really good day at work!" ~Jon

22. "I like my teachers! They're nice. And I like my friends." ~Arianna

23. "A weekend off to spend with my family." ~Jon

24. "There's no homework this week! And we get to have our class Thanksgiving party!" ~Arianna

25. Three years ago today, our family of three became a family of four when we welcomed Lucille Scarlett. We are thankful for her her hugs, her laughter, her strong personality, and her hilarious daily Lucy-isms. It's been an amazing past three years watching her grow into the spunky little girl she is today. We are all so grateful to God for making Lu a member of our family. ~Jon, Sarah, Ari, and Ruby

26. I'm grateful that we have the luxury and privilege of being able to choose to skip the Black Friday madness. Some people shop because they want the deals, some people shop because they NEED the deals in order to be able to do Christmas or buy their kids enough winter clothes to last the season. I feel for those people and it's not lost on me that we are blessed to not be in their shoes. ~Sarah

27. "Four days off!" ~Jon

28. We are thankful to be able to spend this Thanksgiving with extended family. This time of year can be difficult for many military families who are stationed far away from family or who have a service member who is deployed. We keep them in our prayers and remain thankful for the sacrifices that they are making so that we can enjoy this day at home with our families. Someday it will be our turn to make those sacrifices so for this year, we enjoy the blessing of family. ~The Bush Family